


Falling For You

by MysticAssassin



Series: Natsume Week 2019 [7]
Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Gen, Loyalty, One-Sided Attraction, Secret Crush, Tumblr: Natsume Week 2019, friends first, pining Tanuma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 01:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19780102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticAssassin/pseuds/MysticAssassin
Summary: Tanuma only hopes he's allowed to stay by Natsume's side.Day 7 - Loyalty / Longing(These will be a series of drabbles that follow along the lives of everyone that has touched Natsume's life in some way.)





	Falling For You

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my frieend who likes this pairing, with a fondness for pining Tanuma.
> 
> And with this, my entries for Natsume week are over. If you haven't, check out the other works in the series. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading~!

**1.**

When people say things like. “You fell into my life,” it’s not meant to be taken seriously. When Tanuma says it about Natsume, he means exactly that.

“Are you alright, Natsume?”

The fair haired boy groaned and shifted to stare into Tanuma’s face.

“I should be asking you that. Are you hurt?”

Tanuma fought against the heat that tried to set his face ablaze. With Natsume so close, and him giving Tanuma a once over for injuries, it was quickly a losing battle. Natsume finally seemed to realise the predicament they were in as he looked into his friend’s eyes. They stared at one another for a long moment, Natsume’s cheeks flushing before Tanuma’s did as well.

Natsume sheepishly got up, offering the dark haired boy a hand as he did. 

“What were you doing up in a tree?” Tanuma looked around the area, squinting his eyes to see if he could see what would have possibly led the other boy to do such a thing.

When he looked back, Natsume wouldn’t meet his eyes. A blossom of worry and anxiousness grew inside him. He grabbed Natsume’s shoulders with a bit of urgency. Natsume only grew more sheepish. 

“What’s wrong, Natsume? It’s a spirit isn’t it?”

“Well…”

“I knew it. Did it hurt you?”

“No. ...No. That’s not it.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Natsume’s cheeks grew redder as Tanuma showed his concern. He was truly starting to panic over what could’ve happened. Knowing that there was a chance that Natsume would not tell him. No matter how much he asked.

Natsume expelled a large breath, and Tanuma was about to count his losses when he finally got a response.

“It’s just-. There was a spirit, but they weren’t bad!” He added quickly when Tanuma’s grip on his shoulder tightened. “I helped him look for a stone he lost. I found it in the tree.” 

Tanuma glanced at the tree puzzling out where the story was going. 

“The view was nice- so when he left I stayed there a while longer.” A vibrant pink shot up along Natsume’s neck, spread across his face and coloured the tips of his ears.”I guess I fell asleep...”

That was  _ not  _ what Tanuma had in mind.

He snorted and tried to cover up the laugh that tried to erupt. Natsume’s skin only burned brighter.

“Hey! Don’t laugh.” Natsume sulked.

“I’m not laughing.” But the words came out shakey as he tried to suppress his chuckles.

“You are.” 

But the truth was, Tanuma couldn’t help it. It was just like Natsume to fall asleep in the strangest places. He was like a cat that way.

And Tanuma, not for the first time, found himself falling. Who knew two people could fall at the same time in such different ways.

**2.**

“Ah! I don’t want break to end!” Nishimura complained. His arms stretched high above his head.

Kitamoto shook his head at his friend. “If you stay out of school any longer, you’ll forget everything you learnt.” 

“That’s fine, isn’t it, Natsume?”

“Don’t lump Natsume in with you.” Kitamoto reprimanded, as the friends laughed at Nishimura’s plight.

“We should have a study session. That way, Natsume and I can finally catch up with you two.”

Tanuma’s gaze fell on Natsume at that moment. He couldn’t help but think about all the times that Natsume had been absent from school because of being sick, or fainting. That was in part because of his delicate constitution. But he also knew it was because of the spirits that Natsume could see. More times than not when he showed up at school he looked exhausted, and Tanuma knew that he sometimes dozed in class and missed lessons.

“I’m okay with that.” He spoke up, and gained the group’s attention.

“You don’t have to listen to Nishimura’s whims, Tanuma.”

“What’s wrong with helping friends, right?” 

The group continued to laugh and talk as they hung out in the city. As they neared a building Natsume, leading in front alongside Tanuma, caught sight of a building screen. Before he could think about it, he stopped to look at the advertisement. It caused Nishimura and Kitamoto to stop as well. It didn’t take long before Nishimura launched a spiel about the details of the movie on display. Kitamoto didn’t even have a chance, before Nishimura was trying to invite them all out to go see the film when it released.

As the other two were distracted, Tanuma leaned in closer to whisper. “You know him don’t you, Natsume?”

Maybe it was a silly thing to ask. He had met the actor before, who also worked as an exorcist. That was how Natsume and him had known each other. Natsume had someone that he could talk to about the things he could see, and the things that he experienced. And he didn’t have to hold anything back…

Tanuma’s heart clenched.

“Hmm, I guess so.” But the way Natsume looked at the photo, it wasn’t the same way that Nishimura did- admiration for a celebrity you liked. Natsume’s face was an odd mixture of emotions that tended to be his character. But Tanuma could pick out contentment, and respect, and an annoyance that probably stemmed from little things he knew about the actor-exorcist that others didn’t. It was only reaffirmed when Natsume spoke. “I wonder what he would say if he knew he had fans like Nishimura. Or what Nishimura would do if he knew Natori-san’s true character.” That made Natsume laugh to himself. And Tanuma’s heart clenched tighter. It felt like another piece of a world that Tanuma couldn’t fit in to. 

“Eh! Are you laughing at me for liking Natori Shuuichi’s movies too, Natsume?” Nishimura threw his arm around Natsume’s shoulder. He whined to Natsume about all the things Kitamoto had said but it only made Natsume laugh louder. More free. 

And Tanuma didn’t like the way his heart pinched tighter at that. 

He only wished he could say he was under the possession of a spirit in order to explain his feelings of jealousy.

  
  


**3.**

With their last culture festival fast approaching, the third year class was busy cleaning out the classrooms, trading ideas, and making props for what was already decided. 

Nishimura sighed. “I can’t believe this is our last festival.”

“That’s right,” Sasada sauntered over, her hands on her hips, inspecting the cleaning that he was doing. “So you best not slack off.”

“Why are you only telling me?” He whined as he leant against the broom.

Sasada waved him off and turned her attention to Natsume. “What do you think of our class doing a haunted house, Natsume? Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Natsume laughed nervously. “I thought our class already decided?”

“Yes, but that can always change. I’m sure you have all sorts of ideas for how we can have a really great haunted attraction.”

“What? Do you think Natsume just has his little circle of ghosts lingering around?” Nishimura tried to defend his friend. Though the words caused anxiety to flare up within him instead. 

“I’ll go help with the sign….” Natsume excused himself to go over to their other classmates by the window. Sasada called after him.

“I have my eyes on you today, Natsume. You can’t just run away from culture festival duties.”

“You all are really lively, huh?” 

Nishimura jumped, and Sasada turned to see Kitamoto standing outside their class door. Behind him, Tanuma peeked in at the scene as well.

“Help me convince Natsume that a haunted house would suit our class.”

“But, our class is already doing a haunted house.” Kitamoto eyed the girl with a raised brow.

Tanuma looked over to Natsume in the moment. He found him by the window. Natsume’s hair highlighted by the fading sun sinking into the distant horizon. 

It was because he had been staring that he quickly saw the change in Natsume’s face. Eyes wide as he looked outside. Tanuma tried looking in the direction as well. But he could see nothing.

Not even a second later, a strong gust blew into the class. Some of the students yelled as their props and signs blew from their hands or tumbled over. It was only then that Tanuma saw a faint black shadow right outside the window frame.

Natsume turned and broke into a run. Before he safely got through the classroom door, Sasada stepped in his way, efficiently blocking his path. 

“Sorry, Sasada but I actually have to go.” 

“Nice try. But you can’t leave that easily.” Her eyes got a slight sparkle to it. “Unless...is it  _ you-know-what _ ?”

Kitamoto and Nishimura eyed each other at a loss. Another gust of wind blasted the classroom, and a student screamed for someone to shut the window. 

In that moment Natsume looked behind him- the gesture not seeming out of place amongst the chaos. If not for the panic in his eyes.

Tanuma stepped forward. “That’s why I came over. Didn’t you mention needing to run an errand for Fujiwara-san?”

At that, Sasada wanted to say something. Possibly call it out as behind an excuse. But there was no real way of knowing, and she kept silent.

“Ah, that’s right! I really need to go.”

“Fine.” The word barely escaped Sasada’s lips before Natsume was dashing passed her. As he ran by Tanuma, his lips moved.

And Tanuma remembered. He worked hard to be where he was in Natsume’s life. For someone who was so used to keeping to himself, he needed people who forced themselves in. People who wanted to make his life as bright as they could in anyway they could. Natsume’s situation invited all sorts of people in his life. Invites from people who weren’t even always human. And because of that, he needed people who could help him in all those different parts. Tanuma had his part as well. 

“Oh, I actually have something to do. I’ll see you all later.” 

Sasada opened her mouth to complain before she remembered that they were in different classes. And Tanuma ran off to where he’d seen Natsume go. 

_ “Thank you, Tanuma.” _

  
  



End file.
